Democratic Retirements Put the Senate in Play

President Barack Obama’s slumping job approval rating isn’t doing Democrats any favors in the party’s quest to hold a majority in the Senate. But without a handful of Democratic retirements, the Senate likely wouldn’t be in play at all.

Republicans need a net gain of six Senate seats to get to 51 and control the Senate in the 114th Congress. To make that happen, Republicans will likely need to defeat at least two incumbents, if not three or four. That’s a difficult — but not insurmountable — task, considering Republicans defeated just two Democratic incumbents (both in 2010) in the past four election cycles combined.

But if a handful of Democratic senators had not chosen to retire this cycle, Republicans would have had a significantly more difficult path to a majority. The retirements of Sens. Max Baucus of Montana, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Carl Levin of Michigan created good — some even great — GOP opportunities.

A couple of those Democrats may have had a serious test from Republicans in 2014, including Johnson and Rockefeller, but it’s highly unlikely all of them would be in the discussion of competitive races. The senators have a history of winning races in their states, and their re-election bids would have prevented some top Republican candidates from running at all.

Without those open seats, Republicans would have needed to defeat six incumbents instead of two or three. Historically, that would have been an extremely challenging task.

This cycle has the potential for a perfect storm for Republicans, with four Democratic senators running for re-election in states President Barack Obama lost in 2012, and at least three of those are places where he is very unpopular. But Republicans likely won’t need to defeat all of them thanks to the open seats.

If Republicans win the Senate majority, there will be more Senate Democrats retiring.

Ronald W. Mann

Retirements have less to do with moving the senate than the complete show of incompetence by the dim party

blockmccloud

wONDER why they don’t mention your party has a 19% approval rating. Your party is a complete and utter failure

blockmccloud

Mitch mcconell will be retiring. The worthless obstructionist POS he is

YONATAN C

BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE TURNED THEIR BACKS ON THE POOR AND UNEMPLOYED IN THIS COUNTRY. THERE ARE STILL MORE THAN 4 MILLION UNEMPLOYED WORKERS THAT ARE STILL WITHOUT AN UNEMPLOYMENT EXTENSION OF BENEFITS SINCE LAST DECEMBER. THE REPUBLICANS HAVE SUCESSFULLY KILLED THE RETRO EXTENSION BILL IN THE SENATE, AND THE DEMOCRATS DID LITTLE TO FIGHT FOR THESE POOR FAMILIES. NOW MANY OF THESE FAMILIES HAVE HAD TO APPLY FOR WELFARE AND FOODSTAMPS IN ORDER TO CARE FOR THEIR FAMILIES. WE’RE BEING TOLD THAT THE ECONOMY IS BETTER AND THAT THERE ARE LESS PEOPLE APPLYING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION. THE REASON THAT THIS MIGHT BE TRUE, IS THAT THESE WORKERS HAVE GIVEN UP APPLYING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS HAVE HAD TO SEEK GOVERNMENT AID INSTEAD. WHAT A SHAME AND A DISGRACE OF THESE TWO UNCARING POLITICAL PARTIES..

emma richmond

What really make us angry FOLKS LIKE THIS TOM WIMILLIAMS blame the PRESIDENT FOR THEM NOT DOING THEY JOB, and for being SPINELESS COWARDS, they can’t fight for themselves.
WE SAY TO THIS TOM WILLIAMS, PRESIDENT OBAMA IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AND ACCOMPLISH PRESIDENT IN HISTORY, yet these cowardly Democrats have the audacity to run from him , when he have been carrying the water for the democrats and the republicans.
PRESIDENT OBAMA HAVE DONE MORE FOR THIS COUNTRY THEN ANY OF HIS PREDECESSORS. FOR 4 MONTHS THE PRESIDENT HAVE BEEN RUNNING THIS COUNTRY BY HIMSELF, and he have been handling some tough Crisis.
What really make us angry the democrats from his own party try to demonize him, give up a break I will vote Democrats but we won’t donate money like we use to. we don’t like cowards or traitors. JUST WHAT IN THE HELL DO THEY WANT OUT OF THIS PRESIDENT HE IS BRINGING JOBS BACK TO THIS COUNTRY CLINTON SHIPPED OUT THIS COUNTRY, THE DEBT IS GOING DOWN, WE HAVE HEALTH CARE, GAS PRICES DOWN, HE DOING A GOOD WITH HANDLE THE EBOLA CRISIS, TO SEE HIS OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENT GO TO HIS WEBSITE. IN THE SOUTHERN STATES THEY HATE HIM AND THEY ARE RACIST, SO WE DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DEMOCRATS ARE TALKING ABOUT.
WHAT WE DO KNOW YOU’RE TRYING TO PLAY CLINTON AGAINST PRESIDENT OBAMA. THE CLINTONS HAD THEY TERM IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND HE DID NOTHING, HE SHIPPED THE JOBS OUT THIS COUNTRY, HE AND HIS WIFE CAVE ON HEALTH CARE, HE IS THE ONE STARTED THE DON’T ASK AND DON’T TELL, NOW THEY ARE USING THE DEMOCRATS TO ATTACK PRESIDENT OBAMA, PANETTA LIED IN HIS BOOK THAT WAS PLOTTED BY THE CLINTON, THE CLINTONS AND THE CLINTON FUTURE CAMPAIGN MANAGER IS LEON PANETTA BOSS NOW SO THEY PLOTTED AGAINST THE PRESIDENT AND THIS IS WHAT THIS TOM WILLIAMS THE MAYOR OF NORWOOD WHO REFUSE TO NAME A STREET AFTER PRESIDENT OBAMA, WE SEE CLINTON HAVE A STREET THERE NAMED AFTER HIM AND SO IS REAGAN, WE WAS SHOCKED WHEN IT WAS SAID MAYOR TOM WILLIAMS SAID NO AND HE TOLD THE REPUBLICANS TO SAY NO, THIS A DEMOCRAT DOING THIS BS., PRESIDENT OBAMA WON THIS STATE TWICE, BUT TOM WILLIAM IS ONE CLINTON BUDDY.